FIA dismantles illegal kidney transplant network

Inter-provincial network of illegal human organ transplant involves government officials, senior doctors

PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)'s anti-corruption wing of Peshawar Zone uncovered the inter-provincial network of illegal human organ transplant which involved government hospital officials, senior doctors and illegal donors.

The network was uncovered when FIA's anti-corruption wing was carrying out an inquiry against a complaint filed by a retired Mardan government official Fazle Qadir. Qadir had employed the services of Shoaib Afridi, a dialysis technician at Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar, and paid him Rs3.1 million to arrange for a donor, surgeon and other facilities to carry out a transplant. Afridi was arrested by FIA Peshawar.



During the initial investigation, Afridi revealed that many senior surgeons were involved in the network which also includes officials from other provinces.

He further revealed that he worked as a middle man to arrange donors who are mostly destitute and needy and hire surgeons who were paid hefty amounts to carry out the transplant.



The accused has been booked and arrested under sections 11/12/13 of Illegal Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA 2010) read with 5 (2) Prevention of Corruption Act.

Additional Director FIA anti-corruption Peshawar wing Mian Saeed said that further investigation was being carried out and it will help them arrest and dismantle the network by uncovering big names of senior surgeons and government officials who are involved in this illegal practice.